Temora at Easter - RAA + RV homecoming

[baswell]

I have a landing light too. In this case its the landing PLUS their apperant eagerness to use it at night and so blatantly in front of a bunch of CASA and RA-Aus people that has me worried this wasn't the first time. As if it was somehow normal to them.

[VH-XXX]

Apart from that, spotted a Nice RV-10 parked across the end of a long taxiway, sadly couldnt find the owner to say hi.

That would be the one and only Mr. Jabawocky's aircraft

Of course everyone knows that a big landing light makes your aircraft NVFR capable, or at least some people think that is all that is required

I once saw a trike depart, land somewhere, take-off and return at night, some one hour after last light. He had two halogen downlights from his house fitted in the front. One facing forward, once facing slightly down so people could see him from all directions he said. For those that suggested I should have taken action; I did, but it didn't matter, he stopped flying shortly after completely un-related reasons.

[Rollingthunder]

I once fitted a B737 landing light on my Honda Civic's front grill. Sure lit up the landscape 10,000 miles from there. Needed light living on a houseboat on the Fraser. Too many peeps at party one night - we almost sank. Keep the revs up 'tho. Know DepEd of RA. She's cute and dangerous, but I digress...

[LeadSled]

I assumed the 2 miles was for dead reckoning errors, and not a requirement - otherwise they could just extent the airspace by two miles!

and:

AIP Book ENR 1.1 40 Quote:
19.12 Avoiding Controlled Airspace

The pilot in command of an aircraft operating in Class G airspace, or to the VFR in Class E airspace, must apply appropriate tolerance to the flight path to ensure that controlled airspace, or restricted areas, are not infringed.

In calculating whether an intended flight path may infringe controlled airspace, the following navigational tolerances must be applied to the intended flight path depending on the method of navigation used. ….

Folks,
With all due respect to Creamie, Bas is right, and, as I am certain Creamie knows, entering controlled airspace without a clearance is the offense, not entering an "x" mile buffer around a control boundary.

However, a word of practical caution, AsA radar images are not all that precise, but are, nevertheless used as evidence for a penetration of controlled airspace allegation and aircraft targets on the radar screen are not "scale", it is hard, but not impossible, to prove that you did not infringe controlled airspace, when the radar say otherwise.

Also consider various "lanes" around the country, such as north of Sydney ---- staying two miles (@ c2500') from the boundary puts the north and south bound traffic rather close together.

Tootle pip!!

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

it is hard, but not impossible, to prove that you did not infringe controlled airspace, when the radar say otherwise.

That may have been the case pre-GPS but no longer. The GPS log will soon reveal whether or not you stuffed up and I doubt you would have any trouble getting it to stand up in court.

The biggest problem with CASA is that they hide behind the "administrative" fine caper.

"Sir, you can be gaoled for 8 years and fined $40k for your crimes - but if you pay an administrative fine of $500 we will call it all square"!

Dr

[Sunfish]

I'm fitting LED landing lights - because I can use then in wig wag mode as an anti collision device, not for anything else.

[Creampuff]

Leaddie: I’d be a touch more careful if I were you.

The failure to comply with the quoted requirement in AIP is an offence against CAR 99AA(5) – failure to comply with a direction about the use of Class G airspace.

Entry to controlled airspace without a clearance is a different offence (against CAR 100.)

And in which lane ‘north of Sydney’ can someone fly in Class G airspace at 2,500 AGL, Old Bean?

[thorn bird]

Forky they dont even bother with that these days it would seem.
Regardless of radar, GPS etc, it will still come down to a CASA opinion.
Once they decide you "did it" all the evidence to the contrary will
be ignored and they will gnaw on you like a dog with a bone.
Who has the money to fight them in the AAT or in a "Proper" court?,
Even if you win they can always get an FOI to say you were drunk six months ago at a meeting and pull your medical, or because you got a tad angry when the "perfectly reasonable" FOI called you a liar to your face insist you undergo psychological evaluation, of course with a shrink of their choice.
You simply cannot beat them, better to just pay the fine, let the FOI get a notch on his gun to add to his promotion tally and go on flying.

[VH-XXX]

Also consider various "lanes" around the country, such as north of Sydney ---- staying two miles (@ c2500') from the boundary puts the north and south bound traffic rather close together.

Even worse when you're NVFR !!!

0 - 2000 AGL +/- 1NM (+/-2NM by night)
2001 - 5000 AGL +/- 2NM (+/-3NM by night)
5001 – 10,000 AGL +/- 4NM (+/-5NM by night)

[Jabawocky]

Even worse when you're NVFR !!!

Even better.........prolly in CTA/R due Lowest safe

Not sure what the LSALT is there but around here, no VFR lanes at night

[T28D]

Rolling Thunder Just out of interest, how do you power a 24 volt landing light off a Honda Civic ?????

[Jabawocky]

Just one other little catch for the unwary.

The DME arcs around major airports will be from the VOR/DME and not the ARP (aerodrome ref point), so when you are want to skirt around an arc of 25nm and you hit NRST on your Garmin, make sure you select the VOR as your nearest, not the Airport (ARP)

Practise your DME arc skills!

[SW3]

Add to that DME distance is slightly different to GPS distance as DME measures slant, GPS is straight horizontal.

[baswell]

Add to that DME distance is slightly different to GPS distance as DME measures slant, GPS is straight horizontal.

I thought about that, so I calculated it.

Of course the closer your arc, and the higher the altitude, the more it is a problem. But for a lighty trying to stay 12 DME at 6,000 feet, it makes no difference.

Does raise an interesting question for the bus drivers: If you are flying towards a VOR/DME at FL360, does your equipment correct this for you, or will it just read 6 DME right over the top of the thing?

[Jabawocky]

or will it just read 6 DME right over the top of the thing?

Yep and a very handy trick indeed! And well thought out BAS

If you had a unreliable static system, and are unsure of how much by etc, by ensuring you climb to sufficient height above LSALT, track overhead a VOR/DME......Compare the results

Distance is Distance.

Of course some folk here are going to say......well try doing that with ya GPS......but hey, it gives a pretty rough enough altitude as it is

[Shagpile]

Of course some folk here are going to say......well try doing that with ya GPS

Try that with your gps!

...by reading out your gps alt

[VH-XXX]

Off topic, but I recently found the pressure altitude on the Garmin transponder to me most handy too when I lost my altimiter and every other instrument. It was like I was the guy in the Sapphire on Lake Hume and lost my whole panel It was most upsetting, I can understand his frustration! Difference was that I was in the air at the time

[SW3]

Certainly does read out a constant DME distance over the top, something you learn at bus driving school. Just as the distance countdown speeds up with station passage.
Indeed it does depend on height but this is why ATC will often need to know if it is "xxx miles DME" or "xxx miles GPS" for the reason of a disparity. May sound knit picky but comes to play with your 2nm buffer discussed earlier.

[baswell]

Off topic, but I recently found the pressure altitude on the Garmin transponder to me most handy too when I lost my altimiter and every other instrument.

Also a reason why encoding altimeters in an IFR or NVFR aircraft are a bad idea. At least with a blind encoder ATC will see something other than you if either fails. Between the both of you, you can then work out which one to trust.

(From a recent edition of EAA Sport Aviation, where they described an actual crash that probably would not have happened with a blind encoder.)

[Arnold E]

Blind encoders are usually connected to the same static system as the altimeter, so blind or encoding altimeter makes no difference, or am I missing something that you are trying to say?